3 things Elon Musk always does when he runs a meeting

Efficient CEOs have an array of talents and running succinct and successful meetings is one of their core skills. Often, meetings stretch too long and the purpose comes across disjointed, leaving attendees weary and without a fixed agenda. Unproductive meetings can cost your company a small fortune in the long run, as apart from losing out on company resources and valuable time, it also hampers productivity.

Steps in Elon Musk, a visionary and master orator, who understands this and approaches meetings in his own unique style. He ensures that meetings are fruitful for everyone involved and that there is no straying away from the set agenda under any circumstance.

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Here are three things Elon Musk always does when he runs his meetings and you follow suit.

Break down a topic into facts

Musk relies on basic facts and truths instead of leaning on comparisons to what has already been done. He expects his team to break down a topic into its molecular facts and then present those facts in an articulate manner. To put it simply, he not only encourages his team to think outside the box, but he also motivates them to dismantle and evaluate the way in which the box has been put together. As per an in-depth profile published in GQ, "Elon Musk's leadership, his ability to inspire and motivate the people who work for him, derives completely, and only, from his knowledge."

Ensure everyone comes prepared

A meeting will only be successfully when each participant proactively prepares for it. Elon Musk believes that scheduling a meeting is useless if members have not done their homework. If you're not fully ready for primetime, make sure you convey this to your leaders and ask for more time to prepare. Musk's preparedness and informed opinions make it very difficult for employees to answer follow-up questions when they haven't done their homework. Therefore, the secret to a successful meeting is encouraging all participants to do their research well-in-advance.

Model the same dedication that you want from your staff

Elon Musk abides by a simple principle when it comes to meetings - Don't expect more than your own preparedness. Musk has an intense level of expectations from all his employees. And while, this makes some of them uncomfortable, all his employees are aware that he models the same level of dedication he expects from his staff. A Tesla employee put it like this, "If you believe that a task should take a year, then Elon wants it done in a week."

To conclude, if you want to maximize the effectiveness of a meeting, you need to encourage your workers to put in whatever time is necessary on preparation. This will most likely to result in meetings that are productive and engaging.